About “Mrs. Robinson”

During the filming of the 1967 film The Graduate, director Mike Nichols, who had become a fan of Simon & Garfunkel’s work, asked for permission to use their music in the soundtrack, and for them to write a new song. Originally, they pitched “Punky’s Dilemma” and “Overs”, but after Nichols rejected them, they showed him what became “Mrs. Robinson”.

An early, shorter version of the song is what’s included in the film. The complete song debuted on Bookends, a few months after the release of the film soundtrack. As the song already existed before being included in the film, there’s no apparent connection between them; the lyrics suggest a mental hospital setting where Mrs. Robinson lives. Some critics consider it an epilogue to the film.